My First Fall in Chicago

I wasn’t ready to let go of summer. It still felt like summer even yesterday. By that I mean it was too warm and muggy. I immediately regretted wearing jeans, booties and a long-sleeve top when I walked out the door to the Cubs game last night. I was late, so I had to roll up my sleeves and deal with it.Today, it’s in the 60s, cloudy and windy. You always keep me on my toes, Chicago. I’m usually awakened by sunlight sneaking through the curtains, but today the bedroom was darker than usual. The gloominess made it 100 times tougher to climb out of bed.I guess now’s the time to switch to a hot caffeinated beverage in the mornings. I swapped my usual iced drink with the cinnamon chai latte with coconut milk. Might as well go with the flow, I thought. This is it, my first real fall at the traditional fall time. In Arizona, it’s still summer and it will stay that way until late October. (That’s why I think the white-after-Labor-Day rule doesn’t apply.)You can see hints of fall everywhere. The leaves are beginning their transformation. I’m ready to see the colors morph into those classic fall hues. I’m ready to stop using the window AC unit during the day in favor of opening the windows to feel that cool, crisp air.What I’m not ready for is winter. I’m ready to enjoy the now and forget about what’s coming. I have never lived in a place where is snows or gets significantly cold. People love to remind me that I’m in for a treat. But I’m a planner. My mission lately has been to stock up on cold-weather clothing. I even invested in rain boots. I was so trigger-happy about buying shoes for the first time in a long time that it didn’t occur to me to browse Toms’ selections. I later found some adorable rain boots and booties, and they have the added benefit of helping others! Win-win.

My approach to buying is this: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” -William Morris

And so, I let myself spend a few bucks on decor from — where else? — Target. It’s starting to look and smell like fall in my apartment. And I don’t hate it.

A little sign from the Target dollar bins.

Oprah Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte with coconut milk. (I’m just not a pumpkin flavor kind of gal or I’d be all over those pumpkin-spice lattes.)

Hello, fall. It’s nice to meet you. Please stay forever.

Linking up with the Fairy Princess Dairies and the Blush Blonde for Tutu Tuesday!